5 Warning Signs That Your DJ Ego Is Getting Too Big

Posted on 19 Dec 2016

5 Warning Signs That Your DJ Ego Is Getting Too Big

5 SIGNS YOUR EGO IS OUT OF CONTROL

DJs are the centre of attention at a celebration, whether or not we tend to find it irresistible or not. We are entertainers and artists, and as such, there's a healthy amount of ego to maintain - after all, confidence is an important part of performing at your best.

However, it's only too straightforward for things to travel to your head, particularly if you've got fully-fledged some sort of success and, perhaps, even power.
It is often addictive to possess that quantity of influence over a little range of individuals, and as the audiences grow and the achievements roll in, managing that chip
on your shoulder will begin to become tougher.

Here are five tell-tale signs to watch out for as your success as a DJ grows. If you discover yourself beginning to behave during this manner, check yourself whereas you continue to will - keep in mind the saying: Be nice to individuals on your far as a result of you'll meet them on your way down.

1. You expect to be treated differently

If you snipe at promoters as a result of you do not get the VIP treatment ("I same red M&Ms! ") and find irritable as a result of other DJs do not roll out the figurative red carpet after you enter the booth, then you have engineered some expectations regarding however folks ought to treat you, just because you think you're a star. You could all right be the simplest, however, you do not get to be associate degree imbecile regarding it.

This is unhealthy as a result of you expect to be treated otherwise, rather than fairly (ie just like the remainder of North American nation mere mortals). Fuming at the booth technician because he won't plug in your laptop for you and arrange your cables? That's an expectation. Telling different DJs to "tone down" their sets as a result of you are the star of the show and you are the just one United Nations agency gets to play the massive tunes? That's another expectation you have about yourself.

What to do instead:

Realize the situation (ie that you're behaving like an egotistical douche), and slowly work away from it. The two operative words there being "slowly" and "work" - deflating your ego is a painful process that takes time. It's painful because even little doses of humility hurt the ego a whole lot (especially if you're a dude, according to science).

Expectations are at the foundation of ego, however, the great issue regarding this is often that it's bushed your head. Letting go of your expectations of others lets you be at peace with the way you're treated, whether you like the way you are treated, or not. It conjointly causes you to a typically additional pleasant person, rather than somebody perennially jumpy as a result of you did not get what you wish.

2. You throw a hissy fit when the DJ before you play "your songs"

Unless you are a performing artist together with your own productions, once the DJ before you plays a track that you have been known with, don't feel robbed. After all, the reality is different DJs virtually actually have vied those songs at some purpose in time (albeit not at a similar venue, and right before you go on), and you've got fully no possession over them. You're solely related to them as a result of you have to vie them before, not because you "made" them, even though you may have been the first to break them to your audiences.

What to do instead:

Don't freak out - there are tons of other songs that would elicit the same reaction from a crowd, you've just got to go through your playlists to think of a suitable alternative. We advocate packing crates that have two occasions the quantity of music that you just suppose you'd want for a gig, and you may be creating by removal deep in those crates once situations like these arise (they're additional common than you're thinking that, to be honest).

3. You get jealous when the crowd goes crazy for another DJ, not you

I'm a damn narcissistic person (It's taken me 30 years to come to terms with it). When I was a great deal younger, I'd get pissed when another DJ would make a crowd go nuts instead of me. It would ruin my mood for the remainder of the evening, and if I was about to go on it would make me feel like crap while I mixed. Not a good thing, obviously.

What to do instead:

The DJs in a very lineup are not competitors for a few notional "Best Slot Of The Night" trophy. Instead, think of all of you as a team that's building a great evening of music together. All DJs in billing have got their own roles to play - just because you're the headliner doesn't mean you're the only one who should have the satisfaction of making people dance. If folks leave the venue happy, they will get talking regarding it and you'll, by association, be a part of that success.

4. You demand your set starts and ends on time, no matter what

You're busy and you've got got a schedule to stay, we get it. But it isn't a decent look on you after you begin screaming at the promoter as a result of you do not get to travel on at specifically hour, or that your set extends an hour as a result of the opposite DJ simply arrived following associate degree emergency, and needs a few minutes to get ready.

Gig schedules and lineups, like other plans, often have to change at the last minute - it's a fact of life, no matter how organized event planners try to be.

What to do instead:

Adjust your expectations and be realistic - continually create some allowances for delays. If it's a small event that's running a half-hour late because people are coming in the door later than usual, trust your promoter when she or he says that it might be best to maneuver your slot a touch later. Don't be a pushover, though: If your slot moved from primetime to after hours or opening, you may want to negotiate and stand firm, because that could be other DJs muscling their way to better time slots.

5. You're jaded with DJing and blame all the new DJs for ruining it

"All these young folk DJing with their personal computers and fancy graphics, bah!" If you catch yourself sounding defeated, that's a sure sign that you're becoming an aging cynic. Constantly reminding people of how DJing was better back in your day makes you look like a pompous, self-absorbed has-been refusing to climb down from your yellowing ivory tower ("Spotify gets you access to all music now, it's too easy! Where's the fun in that?").

What to do instead:

Let other DJs have their fun. You've undoubtedly had yours (that gig that lasted an entire weekend back in college, spinning at your mate's birthday and relishing in his effusive admiration, and so on). If you've got hit a rough patch in your DJing, otherwise you desire you are stuck, do not feel such as you have to be compelled to hold others back owing to you. If anything, you should feel inspired to pull yourself out of the muck and run alongside those who are enjoying success at the moment.

Another thing to do is to simply enjoy the fact that we are in an industry that's constantly changing and evolving. For a stark contrast, imagine the world of classical music - when was the last time a major shift happened to play the violin? I'm certain there have been some changes, but not at a pace as rapid as in DJing, and that's what makes our chosen path as DJs special: we are always
in flux as a result of we've deep ties with technology.

FINALLY...

DJs are artists and entertainers. Whether we have a tendency to being passionate about it or not, there is an amount of validation and satisfaction that we get whenever we see people enjoying our DJ sets and performances, especially when we've worked so hard to reach a certain level of proficiency. But there is danger in lease this run away with you.

As Zig Ziglar said: "You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want." A spirit of generosity and a healthy dose of humility will do as much to further your DJing career as your raw talent and enthusiasm.

Or to place it another way: I've met several DJs over the years, and while not all the nice ones have gone on to be successful, pretty much all the truly thriving ones I've ever better-known are nice folks additionally as proficient DJs.

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